Jake Paul: MMA Is No Longer Elite, Suffering Massive Decline

January 30, 2025
3 weeks
Jake Paul: MMA Is No Longer Elite, Suffering Massive Decline

Jake Paul no longer sees MMA as an elite sport, as he has suggested it has suffered a massive decline. 

Paul is currently establishing his legacy in the sport of boxing. Jake has earned more than what most professional boxers will make in their lifetime. He demonstrated this perfectly when he faced Mike Tyson in his last fight. He secured a one-sided unanimous decision and picked up a $40 million purse. The event broke records on Netflix as it became the most-viewed live-streamed boxing event in history. 
Paul has been criticized for not facing the big names.

But The Problem child has now suggested that MMA is below boxing. The introduction of the Saudis into boxing has seen some of the biggest events in recent memory. Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk took place for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol also happened for the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship. Meanwhile, MMA only has the UFC as a leading brand. There is a perception that the other organizations, such as the PFL and ONE Championship, are not able to compete at the same level. 

Paul is expected to make his MMA debut with the PFL this year. He signed his deal in 2023. However, the delay in his debut may be due to the lack of quality opponents available. He has been linked with a Nate Diaz fight. He made a $10 million offer, which was turned down. There was also talk of the Tommy Fury rematch in MMA. Reports indicated that a $15-20 million offer was made for a two-fight deal, one in boxing and the other in MMA.

Paul On MMA

But that never gained traction even though Fury did say he would consider it if he . Paul has continued earning money in the boxing ring, suggesting it is a more lucrative sport. There are also suggestions that the previous obstacles in the way of boxing, such as competing promoters and networks, are now being removed by the introduction of the Saudis. Paul had plenty to say about the state of MMA, saying that the biggest star in the sport is Alex Pereira, who is essentially a kickboxer.

“MMA is not what it was. That’s the truth of the matter. Boxing is bigger than ever. The biggest sporting event of the year in 2024 was boxing, whereas MMA is becoming a sh*ttier version of boxing essentially. It’s kickboxing because everyone is getting good takedown defense and everyone’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. So, there’s no more submissions really, there’s not a lot of takedowns, and even if it is, it’s f**king boring.

“But everyone’s good at takedown defense. So, it’s literally kickboxing. “Guess who the biggest star of the sport is in MMA? Alex Pereira, who is a kickboxer because he’s knocking everyone out, and he’s the best one because no one can take him down, no one can submit him. So, he’s just knocking everybody out,” Paul said 

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.


THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING boxingnews.COM

TAGS
COMMENTS

RELATED NEWS